E3 2009: APB Preview

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Not a fan of MMOs? It might be time to become one.

By Erik Brudvig

I've tried playing massively multiplayer online games in the past, but nothing has really grabbed my attention enough to make me feel it worth the monthly fee. Yet here I am in the midst of E3, surrounded by amazing games, planning the purchase of a new gaming PC for next spring so that I can play one. All Points Bulletin, or APB, is the upcoming action-MMO from RealTime Worlds, the group that made the successful Xbox 360 game Crackdown. And it is easily one of my most anticipated games.

APB was first announced for PC and Xbox 360, but that ambition has since been scaled back to focus on the Xbox 360. Rumors flying back and forth regarding which platforms APB will be released on have been the norm lately, so we'll start out with clarification on that front. EJ Moreland, Design Lead on APB explained it this way:

"Definitively, the game is for PC platform release first. We're releasing Q1 2010 for PC. After that, the sky is the limit. We're certainly exploring options for Xbox 360 as well as other platforms, but we're focusing on PC to make sure we execute the product perfectly and get something out there. I'm not saying we won't be doing it on the 360, but we certainly won't be doing it as the first release."

Moreland clarified further by saying that no work on a 360 version has really been done. "We've done some experimentation with controllers, being able to adapt the customization to some platform controller...we've played a little bit with it but we certainly haven't done anything with the technology directly on the 360 yet."

Click the image to watch the E3 trailer.

Now that I've finished crushing many console players' dreams of playing APB anytime soon, we can get on to why APB is looking so impressive. At its heart, APB can be described as Counter Strike with all of the bells and whistles that dedicated servers can bring. Players pick sides to play as the Criminals or the Enforcers and proceed to either commit crimes or stop them. That's the basic idea, but once you get into the nuts and bolts of APB you begin to see how much more it is.

Since this is an MMO, you'll find your character in the midst of the massive San Paro ubran center. Two districts exist to explore, each roughly 40 city blocks. There's the Financial District, home to skyscrapers and back alleys which is complemented by the Waterfront District where you'll find wider roads and ferries. Up to 100 players can toy around in each district at once with thousands more NPCs going about their business.

All of these players are created using the in-game tools.

"The open world stuff allows us to be much more player driven," explained Moreland. "The idea is that the Criminals prey on the city -- they prey on the civilians, they prey on the cars, they prey on the businesses -- and then the Enforcers are predators to them." This is all done through an innovative asymmetric matchmaking system. While you're going about your criminal or heroic business, the game is watching and preparing to throw you into a match against the opposition.

"We're constantly monitoring what you're doing," says Moreland, "and determining what's a good match and when that should occur based on your actions." When not in a match, players can create their own open-world fun or take on missions given out by the NPC organizations. If you're working for the Criminals, you'll report to Zombie and the G-Kings. The Enforcers will accept missions from LaRoche, the head of the Pretorians. These can range from anything to stealing a car on the bad side to escorting a VIP across the city for the heroes. By completing these missions and other player matches, you'll earn money to buy better weapons, customization options, and unlock the set of more than 30 cars.

The kicker is that, according to Moreland, "Everything exists within the matchmaking." If you steal a car without being seen, the matchmaking might not kick in for a while. Kill an innocent civilian in broad daylight and you might raise a few alarms. "What we've learned is that the anticipation of being matched is as cool as actually being matched."